Features
Christmas contextualised
By Fr J.C. Pieris
When we celebrate a birthday, we do not go back to the infancy of the person and celebrate that first day. If it is a ten-year-old girl, we celebrate the tenth year of the child. If it is an old man of eighty years, we do not go back to the zero point of his life and remember the one-day-old baby. But do you realise that it is only in the case of Jesus that we go back to the zero point of his life and celebrate his birth, his first day on this Earth as an infant? That realisation gives rise to an interesting theological reflection. It can be called contextualising Christmas.
Jesus is born every day everywhere on this planet. Every infant born is born to become a perfect human being, to become God’s child. The mission of every baby born is to fulfill the dream of God for it and that is to become the best possible human being; a Siddhartha, a Socrates, a Francis, a Lincoln, a Gandhi, a Mandela, a Romero … a Jesus, a child of God.
In the context of Jesus two millennia ago, he became a sign of contradiction to his contemporaries. From the moment of his birth till he breathed his last on the cross he was hounded by the leaders of the nation; the high priests, king Herod the satrap, the imperial governor Pilate, the scribes, the Sadducees and some of the Pharisees. He preached the revolutionary idea that the Kingdom of God has come where all are equal, fed properly, clothed properly, respected, cared for, loved, healthy, happy and free.
And so, we come to the exercise of contextualising Jesus in the current here and now. Imagine Jesus is born in the year 2022 on December 25th in Sri Lanka in a village called Bathlenagama. Poor baby Jesus; he is born a debtor to the world to the tune of Rs 12 lakhs. What good has the 12 lakhs he has borrowed done to him? The Lady Ridgway children’s hospital doesn’t even have facilities to do a simple blood test. Will Mary, his mother, be so malnourished that he is born underweight? Then what happened to the 12 lakhs he has borrowed? According to the Auditor General’s office ¾ of it was stolen by the current Herods, Pilates, Annases and Caiaphases; the governing kleptocracy, Ali Baba and the 225 thieves their cronies and the top administration. Rs 9 lakhs that belong to baby Jesus is stolen by the greedy, criminal leaders of the nation, beggars that steal from cradles, shameless parasites! What happened to the ¼ he finally got? Most of it went up in smoke called taxes; income tax, payroll tax, VAT, social security tax, capital gains tax, estate tax, indirect tax, local income tax (corporate and individual), property tax, sales tax, surcharge tax, excise tax etc. Every piece of baby soap, bottle of eau-de-Cologne, diaper, pampers, milk powder and other baby needs are heavily taxed. Poor baby Jesus, at the end of the day 90% of what he has borrowed from the world has gone into pockets and hidden accounts of rogues and merchants.
Joseph is a carpenter looking for work in a country bankrupted by its thoroughly corrupt leaders with inflation at 66% which is daily becoming worse. The construction industry has slowed down drastically with the prices of cement and iron shooting up to the stratosphere. Joseph finds it almost impossible to make ends meet. To find work he wants to go to Egypt (Middle East) but without Mary and the baby. Mary is against it. They are a very young and a loving family. Mary is against the family break-up. The next option is for the whole family to leave the country. They have neither the finances nor influence to become legal emigrants with proper visas. They can try illegal boat crossings in the dead of night, very dangerous. And they hesitate. They do not want baby Jesus to end up like the cute little child, Alan Kurdi, on a Greek beach.
In desperation, Mary sounds out Joseph about her going to work as a housemaid leaving the three-year-old Jesus with his father. But Joseph is adamantly against it. For, the bankrupt government has decided to sell our women to the cads of Middle East like in Oman and other middle eastern countries. The government and its ministers, the despicable pimps, are indulging in human trafficking. All that ministers want is forex to run the country and steal from import deals by giving contracts to the highest bidder instead of to the lowest and getting their cut. Mary gives up the idea of working abroad. Now, both Joseph and Mary are desperate existing from hand to mouth finding only small carpentry jobs now and then here and there.
What does the year 2023 hold out to this poor holy family? With inflation nearing three digits, more protests and rallies surely. Mary and Joseph will certainly take Jesus to the Aragalaya. Two millennia ago, where ever and when ever there was a conflict between the powerful and the powerless, the rich and the poor Jesus was right in the middle of it. The prospects for the economy to revive next year is grim. Half the factories are closed down and more will close down next year. The IMF is not going to help this unelected, unstable government which grabbed power through constitutional trickery. No investors will come to a country run by a government that has no people’s sanction. The President says that next year there will be food scarcity leading to possible starvation. He is throwing the problem at us as if we bankrupted the country. The perpetrators of economic crimes against the nation are the government. What hope can there be for the people in the year 2023? None!
In 2023, will there be peace in the country? Your guess is as good as mine. But there surely will be more protests, rallies and the Aragalaya will be revived. The police and the armed forces will be out in strength to suppress and oppress the citizens of the country. The holy family will be present in the Aragalaya. Joseph might be arrested and jailed under detention orders of the Batalanda ogre. Jesus and Mary will be outside on the streets waiting for Joseph and trying to get him out with the help of the Aragalaya lawyers.
What about employment next year? Will there be more jobs? No, jobs will be scarcer and thefts, burglaries, robberies, banditry, mugging and pickpocketing will increase. Will there be enough food to go around? Probably not, and while the Ali Baba and the 225 thieves party at the Shangri-la people will go hungry. Malnutrition will worsen and with it illnesses and diseases also will increase. But there will be no medicines. Already there is a crisis in the hospitals which cannot function normally without essential medicines and medical equipment. The situation will become worse and mortality rate will go up. Ayurveda and veda mahattayas can do nothing. That reminds one of the hocus-pocus peniya and the more stupid pot-throwing-into-rivers promoted by a fool of a minister of health and their pacha TV channels to cure Covid 19.
Jesus will have to go to pre-school to start his education. Already this year some mothers have taken their children out of the nursery class as they do not have money to pay the fees and the school van. Mary might have to keep Jesus at home and teach him herself. In 2023, more children from the primary and the secondary schools will drop out. The number of children doing O/Ls and A/Ls will certainly drop as tuition fees and other educational expenses increase uncontrollably. The government will be happy. Next year, there will be plenty of child labor for the multinationals and local businesses.
How free will we be in the year 2023? Less, of course. Freedom of speech will be reduced by the brutal police and the PTA. Independent media women and men will be targeted. Police arrests and detentions will increase but the Aragalaya will go on. Mary is sure to be with the brave Aragalaya women singing her song of liberation: “God has shown strength with God’s arm; God has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. God has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; God has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.” Jesus is still a baby but her mother’s song is remembered when he launched his public social activity: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
Thus, we conclude contextualising Christmas. We have gone far off from the tinsel Christmas we are accustomed to with Santa, the tree, the cake, the gifts, the rich food, the fireworks, new dresses and drinks. We have come much closer to the real Christmas of two millennia ago with all the hardships and heart aches of the young couple Joseph and Mary with the infant Jesus, so unaware, and peacefully asleep cuddling against the bosom of his mother.
If only I can wish: Happy Christmas Sri Lanka … one day, soon; I’ll be truly happy.
by Dr Gotabhya Ranasinghe
Senior Consultant Cardiologist
National Hospital Sri Lanka
When we sought a meeting with Hon Dr. Ramesh Pathirana, Minister of Health, he graciously cleared his busy schedule to accommodate us. Renowned for his attentive listening and deep understanding, Minister Pathirana is dedicated to advancing the health sector. His openness and transparency exemplify the qualities of an exemplary politician and minister.
Dr. Palitha Mahipala, the current Health Secretary, demonstrates both commendable enthusiasm and unwavering support. This combination of attributes makes him a highly compatible colleague for the esteemed Minister of Health.
Our discussion centered on a project that has been in the works for the past 30 years, one that no other minister had managed to advance.
Minister Pathirana, however, recognized the project’s significance and its potential to revolutionize care for heart patients.
The project involves the construction of a state-of-the-art facility at the premises of the National Hospital Colombo. The project’s location within the premises of the National Hospital underscores its importance and relevance to the healthcare infrastructure of the nation.
This facility will include a cardiology building and a tertiary care center, equipped with the latest technology to handle and treat all types of heart-related conditions and surgeries.
Securing funding was a major milestone for this initiative. Minister Pathirana successfully obtained approval for a $40 billion loan from the Asian Development Bank. With the funding in place, the foundation stone is scheduled to be laid in September this year, and construction will begin in January 2025.
This project guarantees a consistent and uninterrupted supply of stents and related medications for heart patients. As a result, patients will have timely access to essential medical supplies during their treatment and recovery. By securing these critical resources, the project aims to enhance patient outcomes, minimize treatment delays, and maintain the highest standards of cardiac care.
Upon its fruition, this monumental building will serve as a beacon of hope and healing, symbolizing the unwavering dedication to improving patient outcomes and fostering a healthier society.We anticipate a future marked by significant progress and positive outcomes in Sri Lanka’s cardiovascular treatment landscape within the foreseeable timeframe.
by Fr. Emmanuel Fernando, OMI
Jesuit Fr. Aloysius Pieris (affectionately called Fr. Aloy) celebrated his 90th birthday on April 9, 2024 and I, as the editor of our Oblate Journal, THE MISSIONARY OBLATE had gone to press by that time. Immediately I decided to publish an article, appreciating the untiring selfless services he continues to offer for inter-Faith dialogue, the renewal of the Catholic Church, his concern for the poor and the suffering Sri Lankan masses and to me, the present writer.
It was in 1988, when I was appointed Director of the Oblate Scholastics at Ampitiya by the then Oblate Provincial Fr. Anselm Silva, that I came to know Fr. Aloy more closely. Knowing well his expertise in matters spiritual, theological, Indological and pastoral, and with the collaborative spirit of my companion-formators, our Oblate Scholastics were sent to Tulana, the Research and Encounter Centre, Kelaniya, of which he is the Founder-Director, for ‘exposure-programmes’ on matters spiritual, biblical, theological and pastoral. Some of these dimensions according to my view and that of my companion-formators, were not available at the National Seminary, Ampitiya.
Ever since that time, our Oblate formators/ accompaniers at the Oblate Scholasticate, Ampitiya , have continued to send our Oblate Scholastics to Tulana Centre for deepening their insights and convictions regarding matters needed to serve the people in today’s context. Fr. Aloy also had tried very enthusiastically with the Oblate team headed by Frs. Oswald Firth and Clement Waidyasekara to begin a Theologate, directed by the Religious Congregations in Sri Lanka, for the contextual formation/ accompaniment of their members. It should very well be a desired goal of the Leaders / Provincials of the Religious Congregations.
Besides being a formator/accompanier at the Oblate Scholasticate, I was entrusted also with the task of editing and publishing our Oblate journal, ‘The Missionary Oblate’. To maintain the quality of the journal I continue to depend on Fr. Aloy for his thought-provoking and stimulating articles on Biblical Spirituality, Biblical Theology and Ecclesiology. I am very grateful to him for his generous assistance. Of late, his writings on renewal of the Church, initiated by Pope St. John XX111 and continued by Pope Francis through the Synodal path, published in our Oblate journal, enable our readers to focus their attention also on the needed renewal in the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka. Fr. Aloy appreciated very much the Synodal path adopted by the Jesuit Pope Francis for the renewal of the Church, rooted very much on prayerful discernment. In my Religious and presbyteral life, Fr.Aloy continues to be my spiritual animator / guide and ongoing formator / acccompanier.
Fr. Aloysius Pieris, BA Hons (Lond), LPh (SHC, India), STL (PFT, Naples), PhD (SLU/VC), ThD (Tilburg), D.Ltt (KU), has been one of the eminent Asian theologians well recognized internationally and one who has lectured and held visiting chairs in many universities both in the West and in the East. Many members of Religious Congregations from Asian countries have benefited from his lectures and guidance in the East Asian Pastoral Institute (EAPI) in Manila, Philippines. He had been a Theologian consulted by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences for many years. During his professorship at the Gregorian University in Rome, he was called to be a member of a special group of advisers on other religions consulted by Pope Paul VI.
Fr. Aloy is the author of more than 30 books and well over 500 Research Papers. Some of his books and articles have been translated and published in several countries. Among those books, one can find the following: 1) The Genesis of an Asian Theology of Liberation (An Autobiographical Excursus on the Art of Theologising in Asia, 2) An Asian Theology of Liberation, 3) Providential Timeliness of Vatican 11 (a long-overdue halt to a scandalous millennium, 4) Give Vatican 11 a chance, 5) Leadership in the Church, 6) Relishing our faith in working for justice (Themes for study and discussion), 7) A Message meant mainly, not exclusively for Jesuits (Background information necessary for helping Francis renew the Church), 8) Lent in Lanka (Reflections and Resolutions, 9) Love meets wisdom (A Christian Experience of Buddhism, 10) Fire and Water 11) God’s Reign for God’s poor, 12) Our Unhiddden Agenda (How we Jesuits work, pray and form our men). He is also the Editor of two journals, Vagdevi, Journal of Religious Reflection and Dialogue, New Series.
Fr. Aloy has a BA in Pali and Sanskrit from the University of London and a Ph.D in Buddhist Philosophy from the University of Sri Lankan, Vidyodaya Campus. On Nov. 23, 2019, he was awarded the prestigious honorary Doctorate of Literature (D.Litt) by the Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya, the Most Venerable Welamitiyawe Dharmakirthi Sri Kusala Dhamma Thera.
Fr. Aloy continues to be a promoter of Gospel values and virtues. Justice as a constitutive dimension of love and social concern for the downtrodden masses are very much noted in his life and work. He had very much appreciated the commitment of the late Fr. Joseph (Joe) Fernando, the National Director of the Social and Economic Centre (SEDEC) for the poor.
In Sri Lanka, a few religious Congregations – the Good Shepherd Sisters, the Christian Brothers, the Marist Brothers and the Oblates – have invited him to animate their members especially during their Provincial Congresses, Chapters and International Conferences. The mainline Christian Churches also have sought his advice and followed his seminars. I, for one, regret very much, that the Sri Lankan authorities of the Catholic Church –today’s Hierarchy—- have not sought Fr.
Aloy’s expertise for the renewal of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka and thus have not benefited from the immense store of wisdom and insight that he can offer to our local Church while the Sri Lankan bishops who governed the Catholic church in the immediate aftermath of the Second Vatican Council (Edmund Fernando OMI, Anthony de Saram, Leo Nanayakkara OSB, Frank Marcus Fernando, Paul Perera,) visited him and consulted him on many matters. Among the Tamil Bishops, Bishop Rayappu Joseph was keeping close contact with him and Bishop J. Deogupillai hosted him and his team visiting him after the horrible Black July massacre of Tamils.
Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement
By Gomi Senadhira
senadhiragomi@gmail.com
“You might tell fairy tales, but the progress of a country cannot be achieved through such narratives. A country cannot be developed by making false promises. The country moved backward because of the electoral promises made by political parties throughout time. We have witnessed that the ultimate result of this is the country becoming bankrupt. Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet.” – President Ranil Wickremesinghe, 2024 Budget speech
Any Sri Lankan would agree with the above words of President Wickremesinghe on the false promises our politicians and officials make and the fairy tales they narrate which bankrupted this country. So, to understand this, let’s look at one such fairy tale with lots of false promises; Ranil Wickremesinghe’s greatest achievement in the area of international trade and investment promotion during the Yahapalana period, Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (SLSFTA).
It is appropriate and timely to do it now as Finance Minister Wickremesinghe has just presented to parliament a bill on the National Policy on Economic Transformation which includes the establishment of an Office for International Trade and the Sri Lanka Institute of Economics and International Trade.
Was SLSFTA a “Cleverly negotiated Free Trade Agreement” as stated by the (former) Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade Malik Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate on the SLSFTA in July 2018, or a colossal blunder covered up with lies, false promises, and fairy tales? After SLSFTA was signed there were a number of fairy tales published on this agreement by the Ministry of Development Strategies and International, Institute of Policy Studies, and others.
However, for this article, I would like to limit my comments to the speech by Minister Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate, and the two most important areas in the agreement which were covered up with lies, fairy tales, and false promises, namely: revenue loss for Sri Lanka and Investment from Singapore. On the other important area, “Waste products dumping” I do not want to comment here as I have written extensively on the issue.
1. The revenue loss
During the Parliamentary Debate in July 2018, Minister Samarawickrama stated “…. let me reiterate that this FTA with Singapore has been very cleverly negotiated by us…. The liberalisation programme under this FTA has been carefully designed to have the least impact on domestic industry and revenue collection. We have included all revenue sensitive items in the negative list of items which will not be subject to removal of tariff. Therefore, 97.8% revenue from Customs duty is protected. Our tariff liberalisation will take place over a period of 12-15 years! In fact, the revenue earned through tariffs on goods imported from Singapore last year was Rs. 35 billion.
The revenue loss for over the next 15 years due to the FTA is only Rs. 733 million– which when annualised, on average, is just Rs. 51 million. That is just 0.14% per year! So anyone who claims the Singapore FTA causes revenue loss to the Government cannot do basic arithmetic! Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I call on my fellow members of this House – don’t mislead the public with baseless criticism that is not grounded in facts. Don’t look at petty politics and use these issues for your own political survival.”
I was surprised to read the minister’s speech because an article published in January 2018 in “The Straits Times“, based on information released by the Singaporean Negotiators stated, “…. With the FTA, tariff savings for Singapore exports are estimated to hit $10 million annually“.
As the annual tariff savings (that is the revenue loss for Sri Lanka) calculated by the Singaporean Negotiators, Singaporean $ 10 million (Sri Lankan rupees 1,200 million in 2018) was way above the rupees’ 733 million revenue loss for 15 years estimated by the Sri Lankan negotiators, it was clear to any observer that one of the parties to the agreement had not done the basic arithmetic!
Six years later, according to a report published by “The Morning” newspaper, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) on 7th May 2024, Mr Samarawickrama’s chief trade negotiator K.J. Weerasinghehad had admitted “…. that forecasted revenue loss for the Government of Sri Lanka through the Singapore FTA is Rs. 450 million in 2023 and Rs. 1.3 billion in 2024.”
If these numbers are correct, as tariff liberalisation under the SLSFTA has just started, we will pass Rs 2 billion very soon. Then, the question is how Sri Lanka’s trade negotiators made such a colossal blunder. Didn’t they do their basic arithmetic? If they didn’t know how to do basic arithmetic they should have at least done their basic readings. For example, the headline of the article published in The Straits Times in January 2018 was “Singapore, Sri Lanka sign FTA, annual savings of $10m expected”.
Anyway, as Sri Lanka’s chief negotiator reiterated at the COPF meeting that “…. since 99% of the tariffs in Singapore have zero rates of duty, Sri Lanka has agreed on 80% tariff liberalisation over a period of 15 years while expecting Singapore investments to address the imbalance in trade,” let’s turn towards investment.
Investment from Singapore
In July 2018, speaking during the Parliamentary Debate on the FTA this is what Minister Malik Samarawickrama stated on investment from Singapore, “Already, thanks to this FTA, in just the past two-and-a-half months since the agreement came into effect we have received a proposal from Singapore for investment amounting to $ 14.8 billion in an oil refinery for export of petroleum products. In addition, we have proposals for a steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million), sugar refinery ($ 200 million). This adds up to more than $ 16.05 billion in the pipeline on these projects alone.
And all of these projects will create thousands of more jobs for our people. In principle approval has already been granted by the BOI and the investors are awaiting the release of land the environmental approvals to commence the project.
I request the Opposition and those with vested interests to change their narrow-minded thinking and join us to develop our country. We must always look at what is best for the whole community, not just the few who may oppose. We owe it to our people to courageously take decisions that will change their lives for the better.”
According to the media report I quoted earlier, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) Chief Negotiator Weerasinghe has admitted that Sri Lanka was not happy with overall Singapore investments that have come in the past few years in return for the trade liberalisation under the Singapore-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement. He has added that between 2021 and 2023 the total investment from Singapore had been around $162 million!
What happened to those projects worth $16 billion negotiated, thanks to the SLSFTA, in just the two-and-a-half months after the agreement came into effect and approved by the BOI? I do not know about the steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million) and sugar refinery ($ 200 million).
However, story of the multibillion-dollar investment in the Petroleum Refinery unfolded in a manner that would qualify it as the best fairy tale with false promises presented by our politicians and the officials, prior to 2019 elections.
Though many Sri Lankans got to know, through the media which repeatedly highlighted a plethora of issues surrounding the project and the questionable credentials of the Singaporean investor, the construction work on the Mirrijiwela Oil Refinery along with the cement factory began on the24th of March 2019 with a bang and Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his ministers along with the foreign and local dignitaries laid the foundation stones.
That was few months before the 2019 Presidential elections. Inaugurating the construction work Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the projects will create thousands of job opportunities in the area and surrounding districts.
The oil refinery, which was to be built over 200 acres of land, with the capacity to refine 200,000 barrels of crude oil per day, was to generate US$7 billion of exports and create 1,500 direct and 3,000 indirect jobs. The construction of the refinery was to be completed in 44 months. Four years later, in August 2023 the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to cancel the agreement with the investors of the refinery as the project has not been implemented! Can they explain to the country how much money was wasted to produce that fairy tale?
It is obvious that the President, ministers, and officials had made huge blunders and had deliberately misled the public and the parliament on the revenue loss and potential investment from SLSFTA with fairy tales and false promises.
As the president himself said, a country cannot be developed by making false promises or with fairy tales and these false promises and fairy tales had bankrupted the country. “Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet”.
(The writer, a specialist and an activist on trade and development issues . )
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